Evaporator



E. H. CHAPIN July 28 EVAPORATOR Filed July 8, 1924 '3 sheets-sheet 1- July '28, 1925.

E. H. CHAPIN 3 Sheebs-Sheet- 2 EVAPORATOR Filed July 8, 1924 July 28, 1925; 1,547,788

' E. H. CHAPIN EVAPORATO R Filed July 8.; 1924 s Sheets-Sheet 5 11v VENTOR Patented July 28, 1925..

UNITED sTATes PATENT OFFICE. 1

ERNEST H. GHAPIN, or. onrcaeo, ILmNoIs,v ASSIGNOR r0 WHEELER CONDENSER a ENGINEERING COMPANY, or OARTERET, NEw JERSEY, A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY.

EVAPORATOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST H. CHAPIN, a citizenof the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Evaporators, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to an evaporator and the object thereof is the provision of an evaporator in which the operative parts are constructed as a unit and'are provided with a casing enclosing the same and forming the evaporator chamber, the casing being removably connected to the said operating parts of the evaporator so as to be detached therefrom for the purposes of repairs, replacing parts or cleaning without in .any manner disturbing the operating parts and the pipe connections assoclat'ed therewith. The evaporator made in accordance with this invention is one which is.

adapted to operate either as a film evaporator or as a submerged evaporator, is one which is provided with means for maintaining a substantially constant level of the liquid to be evaporated in the evaporator chamber irrespective of the manner in which the evaporator is operated, is one in which when operated as a film evaporator devices are employed for re-circulating the liquid to be evaporated and also one in which means are employed for separating and partially condensing the vapors before the same are emitted fromthe evaporator, all of these devices being so associated in the apparatus that as aforesaid the casing'may be detached and removed'for the purposes indicated or otherwise without disturbing or interfering with the operating parts and the piping system associated therewith and forming part thereof, as will be hereinafter more particularly described.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional plan'of an evaporator made in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a. central longitudinal sectionon line 22, Fig. 1. 1

Fig. 3 is an elevation and partial section taken on line 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4,

Filg. 2. I

ig. 5 is a section taken on line 5.-5, Fig. 4, and

Fi 6 is an elevation of one .of the float cham rs taken at right angles to the posi- 65 on suitable posts or columns 11 placed on any foundation or support. Any desired number of these columns or posts may be employed. Associated with the base plate 10 is a shell or casing 12. This shell is preferably cylindrical and at its opposite ends is flanged as indicated at 13 and 14. The flange 14 is adapted to rest upon the peripheral portion of the base plate 10 and .to be connected thereto by a series of bolts or equivalent members 15. The'opposite or 7 upper end of the shell is fitted with a cover or head 16. This is flanged as indicated at 17 and the flange 17 conforms to the flange. 18 and these are connected together by a series of bolts 18 or equivalent devices passing through'their' respective flanges 13 and 17. As indicated the cover 16 is provided centrally with an eye 19 by means of which through suitable tackle or otherwise the shell and associated parts may be removed from the other parts of the apparatus. In a suitable position the shell 12 is also provided with a discharge nozzle 20 for the eizit of the vapors arising from the evaporation process and this discharge nozzle 20, as illustrated, may be connected to an elbow 21 by, means of bolts 22 or otherwise and as will be understood the elbow 21 is connected to a suitable pi e line which leads to a condenser or ot er apparatus for condensing the vapors arising from the evaporation process. a Secured to the base plate 10 and rising therefrom is a steam header 23. This is formed in any suitable manner and may simply comprise a pipe open at one end to a port extending through. the base plate and closed at the opposite end. A steam pipe 24 leading from a suitable source of steam is connected to the under or outer side of I the base plate so as to communicate through the port in the same with the steam header. Alsoin a suitable position and preferably diametrically opposite that' in which the steam header is placed I employ a drain header 25. This drain header is 0011-.

structed in the same manner as the steam header and is fixed in position so as to register with a drain port in the base plate extending from which is a drain. pipe 26. The steam header and drain header are connected by a series of heat coils. These are indicated in the drawing at 27 and 28 in which I have illustrated the use of sets of heat coils in pairs. 'These heat coils as indi cated are preferably looped on themselves so as to provide a maximum heating surface, although, as will be understood, the number of coils employed in each set and the particular shape of the same form no part of my present invention. As clearly indicated in Fig. 5 these heat coils are preferably' elliptical in cross section so as to provide for greater distortion during a given temperature or pressure change in order to automatically and more easily remove particles of scale which may tend to accumulate thereon during the evaporation of water or any other liquid evaporated by the apparatus. In order to adequately secure the terminals of the heat coils in the steam header and the drain header the steam header may be provided with a flat face 29 in which there is provided a port or hole for the inlet end of each heat coil. These ports are indicated at 30. Similarly the drain header may be provided with av flat face 31 in which there are a corres 0nding number of ports 32for the disc arge end of the heat coils. .The heat coils may be secured in position by the use of couplings indicated respectively at 33 and 34 or, as will be understood, manifold flanges may be provided for the ends of each set of coils for securing the same to the headers or other similar and suitable means ma be employed for this purpose.

The water or other liquid rated by the apparatus is supplied thereto from any suitable source through a pipe line 35 in which there is an inlet valve 3 6 or otherwise. As hereinbefore stated the apparatus may be employed either as a film evaporator or a. submerged evaporator and in order to maintain the liquid to be evaporated at a substantially constant. level ir-,

respective of the manner in which the apparatus is used I employ a series 0f float control devices. These float control devices are similarly constructed and when but two levels of the liquid are necessary but two such devices need be employed. One of these float control devices is indicated at 37 and theother at 38. They both comprise hollow body members and are connected'by a pipe 39 so as to assume a superimposed position, the float control 37 being above the float control'38. The lowerend of the float control 38 is connected by a pipe 40 to the shell 12, and similarly the upper end of the float control 37 is conto be evaponected to the shell by a pipe'41. The interior of the shell communicates with the pipe 40 through a port 42 therein and in like manner th interior of the shell comconnected to a shaft 45 extending exteriorly of the float control and the coverv provided therefor and by means of a crank or arm 45' may be connected to the gate or other controlling means of the valve 36 by a link 46. float control 38 there is a float 47. This is also connected to a shaft 48 carrying a crank arm 48 by which through a link 49 the float may be connected to the gate or other means for controlling the extent to which the inlet valve 36 is open. From the foregoing it will be understood that either the lower end of the link 46 or the lower end of the, link 49 may be connected to the gate or other member of the inlet valve as indicated at 50 to control the flow of the liquid through the pipe 35 and through the pipe 51 to the interior of the apparatus, the exit end of the pipe 51 being connected to the under side of the base plate 10 so as to register with aport 52 therein in order to permit the liquid to flow into the interior of the apparatus.

When the apparatus is operated as a film evaporator, it will be necessary, as understood, to employ a re-circulating system and as illustrated more Or less diagrammatically this may include a suitable pump 53 which is illustrated as a centrifugal pump and a motor 54 also of any suitable type for driving the pump. The suction pipe to the pump is indicated at 55. At one end this is connected to the underside of the base plate 10 preferably in a centrally disposed position so as to register with a discharge port 56 passing through the base plate, while of course the. op osite end of the pipe 55 is suitably attached to the suction of the pump as indicated at 57. The discharge end of the pump is indicated at 58 and this is connected to a pipe 59 which extends through an opening provided therefor in the base plate 10 and upwardly so as not to interfere with the heat coils and terminates in a discharge pipe 60 having its orifice in a centrally disposed Similarly in the body of the The apparatus is also provided with a sedibeing understood that the ring63 is suitably secured to the upper face of the base plate -so as to surround the discharge port56 making it necessary for the liquid which escapes to the interior of the ring to reach the discharge port to flow over the upper edge of the ring.

thereof and terminating in a cylindrical discharge portion "66 adjacent the cover 16. This vapor separator also includes a cylindrical member 67 of larger diameter than the cylindrical portion 66, this cylindrical member 67 being attached at its upper end in a suitable manner'to the inner surface of the cover 16 so as to extend downwardly surrounding the cylindrical portion 66 and spaced therefrom, and as indicated preferably has its lower edge serrated as shown at 68. The conical dome portion65 may also be fitted with a drain 69 by means of which any of the vapors as condensed in the vapor separating apparatus may be returned to the body of the liquid being evaporated.

From the foregoing it will now be understood that the devices for transferring the heat utilized for the purposes of effecting the evaporation as employed in this apparatus are all so associated with the base of the evaporator that the shell or casing may be removed without disturbing the same or the pipe connections leading thereto or leading therefrom and that the float control devices are so associated with the casing as to be removable therewith. Furthermore that the vapor. separating devices are connected to the shell so as to he removable therewith or may be supported by the heat transfer .devices so as to be independent of the shell whereby the shell by being disconnected from the base plate and also from the vapor discharge pipe may be entirely removed without in any manner disturbing the operating parts of the apparatus.

I claim as my invention:

1. An evaporator comprising a base, a

steam header mounted onthe said base, a I

drain header mounted on the said base in a posit-ion oppositely disposed to that in which.

the said steam header is mounted thereon, heat coils connected at corresponding ends in the saidsteam header and at the opposite ends in the said drain header, and a casi connected to the said base so as to surroun and enclose the said steam header, drain header and coils and to be removable independently of the-same.

2. An evaporator comprising a base, a

steamheader mounted on the base, a drain header mounted on the base in aposition oppositely disposed to that in which the steam header is mounted thereon, heat coils connected, at corresponding ends in' the said steam header extendin insinuous paths between the steam hea er and drain header and connected at their opposite ends in the said drain header, -means for supplyin steam to the steam header through the sai base, means for draining the drain header through the base, and a casing surrounding and enclosing the said steam header, drain header and the ,heat coils and removably connected to the base independently of the same.

3. An evaporator comprising a base, de-

vices associated with the base for transferring heat to a liquid to be evaporated, devices for recirculating the liquid to be evaporated, and a casing removably connected to the base independently of the said devices.

4. An evaporator comprising a base, devices associated with the base for transferring heat to a liquld to be evaporated, a pump, means for driving the pump, a pipe connection from the said base to the suction of the pump, a pipe from the dischargepof the pump leading to a point above the said devices for transferring heatto the liquid to be evaporated, and a casing removably connected to the said base independently of the said devices.

5. An evaporator comprising a base, a steam header mounted on the base, a drain header mounted on the base in a position oppositely disposed to that in which the steam header is mounted thereon, heat coils connected at corresponding ends in the said steam header extendin in sinuous paths between the steam hea er and drain header and connected at their opposite ends in the said drain header, means for supplying steam to the steam header'through the said base, means for draining the drain header through the base, a casing surrounding and enclosing the said steam header, drain header and heat coils and coacting with the base to form an evaporator chamber, means for supplying a liquid to be evaporated to the said chamber through the said base, and means for removably connecting the said casing to the said base. v 6. An evaporator comprising a base, a steam Header connected to the said base, a

drain header connected to the said base, heat coils connected to and extending between the said steam header, and drain header, means for supplying steam to the steam header through ,the said base, means for draining the drain header through the said base, a casing enclosing the said steam header, drain header and heat coils and coacting with the base to form an evaporator chamber, means for supplying a liquid to be evapbrated to the said chamber through the base thereof, a sediment deflector secured to the said base, a discharge pipe leading from the base immediately beneath the sediment deflector, a pump to the suction ofwhich the said discharge .pipe is connected, means for driving the pump, a pipe from the pump leading through the base to a point above the said steam header, drain header and heat coils, and means for connecting the said casing to the said base so as to be removable therefrom independently of the said steam header, drain header, heat coils and parts associated therewith.

7. An evaporator comprising a base, a steam header mounted on the said base, a drain header mounted on the said base in a position oppositely disposed to that in which the said steam header is mounted thereon, heat coils connected at corresponding ends in the said steam header and at the opposite ends in the said drain header, a casing connected to the said base so as to surround and enclose the said steam header, drain header and coils and to be removable independently of the same, and devices for recirculating the liquid to be evaporated.

8. An evaporator comprising a base, a steam header mounted on the base, a drain header mounted on the base/in a position oppositely disposed to that in which the steam header is mounted thereon, heat coils connected at corresponding ends in the said steam header extending in sinuous'paths between the steam header and drain header and connected at their opposite ends in the said drain header, means for supplying steam to the steam header through'the said base, means for draining the drain header through the base, a casing surrounding and enclosing the said steam header, drain header and the heat coils and removably connected to the base independently of the same, and devices for recirculating the liquid to be evaporated.

9. An evaporator comprising a base, a steam header mounted on the base, a drain header mounted on the base in a position oppositely disposed to that in which the steam header is mounted thereon, heat coils connected at corresponding ends in the said steam header extending in sinuous paths between the steam header. and drain header and connected at their opposite ends in the said drain header, means for supplying ERNEST H. OHAPIN. 

